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It seems that at the moment people are keen to be saving extra money where they can, or certainly at the least making the most of the money that they have. I’m pretty savvy with money most of the time, and this time of year for us means that we have two lots of insurance to buy (car and Buildings & contents) as well as the car MOT due imminently. It can make for an expensive time of year, especially when coupled with our usual annual holiday. I’m also sure that many people are feeling a bit worn out by the current situation and wondering when they can start to plan family adventures again.
I’ve become pretty savvy at making the most of our money and thought I’d share some of my money-saving tips here today that might help to make those future family adventures a reality soon.
Don’t accept renewal quotes
We got our car insurance renewal quote and the first thing I did was to telephone them. It’s a really easy call to make and all I ever say is, I’m calling to check that that’s the best renewal price you can offer me. I have held insurance for many many years now. EVERY time, without fail, my renewal price is reduced by simply asking that question. This year the price was dropped by around £30.
It’s really easy to let your policy auto-renew but it’s well worth a five-minute conversation to see if they can reduce it further for you. That has then allowed me to go and see what other deals are elsewhere, again a ten-minute job on a price comparison site. I’ve since found that I can reduce my quote by another £35 (and also reduce the excess by £150).
So, 15 minutes of work and effort has saved me £65 and reduced my excess liability should I have the need to make a claim. Well worth shopping around.
Look for online offers
When I’m buying items online I always look for a voucher or discount code. I don’t always find any, but sometimes I do and I can get free postage of a 10% discount. A site such as one like Sign Up Offer can be great for finding an offer to use. Its especially worth it when buying the more expensive big-ticket items and the savings can soon start to add up.
These sites often require you to register first to access the offers and deals, but it can be well worth it as the deals are usually pretty good.
Do your research
My mobile phone contract ends soon and the phone itself is still in good condition. I would, of course, love a new one, but the cost of a new one isn’t justifiable when I can cut my monthly bill by more than two thirds by switching to a SIM only plan. It’s a really easy thing to do. Once your current contract expires you can apply to unlock your current mobile phone the network. This is free to do and is usually a case of completing an online form. You are then sent a code which you input into the phone and it will then accept any SIM. Hurrah!
It pays to take a look around at SIM only deals, and also check if your broadband provider supplies a mobile phone service. My bill will drop to £8 (a saving of more than £16 compared to what I am currently paying) and I will also have 1GB more of data. If I want to transfer my phone number that too is an easy process and can be done by completing an online form.
Choose second hand
Another moneysaving idea – choose second-hand items. We have bought so many things second hand and it’s saved us a lot of money over the last few years. Especially for things that children tend to grow out of quickly, balance bikes and pedal bikes being the prime example. We have managed to secure two excellent bikes via online auction sites and I’m so glad we did. I think we paid no more than around £40 for the two bikes and they were both in excellent condition. Neither of the children could tell they weren’t brand new and it meant that Damian and I can relax when they’re not as well looked after as we might want them to be, especially if they were £100+ brand new bikes. As well with D, he took a while to want to ride on his bike, and by the time he mastered it he was already starting to outgrow his first bike. I’d had been sad if we had spent a lot of money on a brand new one for it to sit unused for a long time.
Pool Resources
If you’re looking for specific items, it’s worth checking with friends and family to see if they have it that perhaps they no longer need or their own children have outgrown. It’s really easy to head out and buy stuff new, but the current lockdown situation has made that a bit harder. I think it’s also made people reflect on what they do and don’t need in life. I know that we have managed to sort through lots of our stuff and offer it to other families, simple things often like an excess of pencil crayons and crayons that we have passed on, or books that I have read or the children have outgrown. Pooling resources is a great way to save an the outlay of a new item.
Be a planner
I’ve never hidden the fact that I am, by my very nature, a planner. When we take breaks or go on holiday I like to have a rough plan and idea of how we might spend our time. We research what is around us, what things we would like to see and often if you book in advance you can secure discounts on tickets. This is often the case for larger attractions such as castles or day trips and when you’re buying multiple tickets, these sorts of advance purchases really do start to make savings and those savings really do begin to add up.
Cereal boxes and yoghurt pots also often have offers throughout the year whereby you can collect tokens in exchange for free entry to many big name attractions. Its worth saving these into a folder – even if you don’t use them at least you have them to hand should you find yourself with a free day.
Make use of free spaces
Finally, if money is really tight then make use of the free spaces around you. There are so many beautiful areas around. If you’re away on holiday search on local authority websites for parklands; they often provide a good outline of the park. Also the Woodland Trust website is great for identifying local woodland spaces that you might wish to explore. Reservoirs often have lovely walking routes around them too. It’s a really easy way to get out, and even if the weather isn’t great simply make up a flask, put the wellies on and get a blanket in the car for soggy children on the way home! Making an adventure in the woodland with a flask of hot chocolate and a mini snack is the stuff that childhood memories are made of. Our older two still talk about when we had take away pizza in the park on holiday a couple of years back. It’s those sort of the things that children remember; the sorts of things that really don’t need money. They simply need a little magical spot and parents willing to explore with them.
